1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a protective container for a disposable hypodermic syringe and needle combination, more particularly to a hypodermic needle sheath and remover that allows the safe covering, removal and disposal of the needle to prevent accidental injury to patients and medical professionals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of syringe assemblies for receiving and dispensing medication as well as other materials have been known. In general, the medication or other materials are introduced into the hollow barrel portion either by receiving the same through the needle which communicates with the barrel interior, or by means of a frangible container, such as an ampule, which is placed within the hollow barrel. Applying pressure to the plunger causes the medication or other material to be expressed through the hollow needle.
Other assemblies also utilize needles to draw blood or set up an intra-venous catheter. In both cases, a used needle must be properly disposed of. In a situation where blood is drawn, the needle must be separated from the syringe before the syringe can be sent to the lab. In other words, most labs will not accept the blood sample if a needle is attached.
These various assemblies are often used for patients suffering from infectious diseases. Therefore, it has been considered of great importance in the art to avoid accidents, where doctors, nurses, or other persons suffer accidental puncture wounds from use of needles. Presently, the safe disposal of used syringes and needles is considered a serious problem in the art, particularly in light of the recent spread of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and hepatitis, and the wide-spread abuse of syringes and needles by addicts for administering illicit drugs.
In order to prevent the incidence of puncture wounds which are sometimes accidentally self-inflicted by doctors, nurses and hospital housekeeping staff, there has been a need to provide a simple method for immediately covering the hypodermic needle after use.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,702,738 and 4,908,023 address this problem by providing a disposable hypodermic syringe with a retractable and lockable sheath. Other patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,822, also disclose a syringe assembly having a sheath which can be extended to cover the needle but which cannot be locked in this extended position. In addition, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,967,621, 4,139,009, 4,237,882, 4,416,663, 4,573,972, 4,573,975, 4,731,059, 4,139,009 and 4,966,591 all disclose syringe assemblies with various means for protecting the needle either before or after use.
Another device is known which has a base that attaches to the syringe in between the syringe and the needle. A plastic connector holds a cover which dangles from the base and is meant to snap over the needle after use. This device impedes the use of the needle however. In addition, none of these patents permits the needle to be safely covered and safely removed from a syringe and disposed.
Some health facilities provide a sharps container for disposal of used needles. These containers may be equipped with a lever which carries a blade to cut needles from syringes before disposal. Other needle assemblies are disposed of without destruction.
This system has a major disadvantage. Although the patient and health professional are safe once an item has reached the sharps container, those containers still need to be emptied and the waste disposed of. Exposed needles also represent a danger to personnel who have to empty the sharps containers.
These sharps containers are typically wall-mounted. Frequently, after a needle is used, the health professional will place the used needle on the bed or on a nearby table in order to continue to attend to the patient. When an opportunity arises, the health professional will then dispose of the needles. This can be dangerous for the patient, the attendant health professional, and other health professionals. In addition, the needles must still be transported to the sharps container. This presents the risk of possible injury if the person carrying them trips, falls or accidentally sticks someone.